April 2017

April 28, 2017

Here is another cute, antique, promotional needle holder. This time the souvenir 'needle card' is from Stratford-on-Avon and the home of William Shakespeare. I picked up this selection of vintage needles because they were made in England from Sheffield steel and the little card is so sweet. I love the interior sleeves holding the selection of various hand needles and the explanations of each variety.

I debated whether or not to actually use the needles for my English paper piecing but couldn't resist trying one. My usual needle is totally bent from stitching (are they more flimsy and weak now?) but when I tried a couple of these antique ones, there is no way they will bend! The first one I selected had two little circles of rust (?) where it sat in the foil and I could feel the resistance each time it reached that point as I sewed. I switched to one from the other side and while it glided through the fabric, the eye was larger and I had to push harder. I'm going to try each one until I find a suitable fit for my hand-piecing.

Regardless, I find these little books and tubes (see HERE) of needles absolutely charming and nostalgic and it just feels cool to be using vintage needles for hand-sewing. The EPP hexi work is so addictive I have barely come downstairs to my workshop... the improv quilt sits under the needle half quilted and the secret project I've been working on for my daughter has stalled. Ooops!

April 27, 2017

I tried out the Clover Hot Hemmer to press the edges of my quilt label to the back and it worked very well, providing a crisp, even finish. Usually I just eyeball my hems since the labels are so small but I always end up with them being crooked! This handy gadget took care of that problem and it was much easier to press this way rather than trying to fold by eye and hold the hems with my fingers.

The Hot Hemmer is made of heat resistant nylon material so you can measure a seam along its ruler guide and then press the hot iron right onto both the fabric and the tool. It has a soft, felt-y feel to it which seems like it would melt but (obviously!) it worked perfectly with the heat (and I used steam), with no curling or negative effects on the hemmer.

The ruler is really thin and has a non-slip surface so the hem stays put, is accurate and consistent. You can also use it to measure your seams and it works for round or mitered corners as well (which, after watching the quick video below, I think would be super helpful!), with steam or without. The Hot Hemmer is made in Japan by Clover and labelled 'Press Perfect by Joan Hawley'. I bought this specifically for my labels so it's just the right size for my needs. I don't do any garment sewing so I'm not sure if it would be too small for that purpose (long hems?) but for corners, it's great!

Here's that quick video from Clover showing you how the Hot Hemmer works...

April 24, 2017

I have been under the weather since the family gathering at Easter where a couple people were sick and passed it on to me. While it's a drag having a cold it means I've been taking things easier, catching up on Outlander, and working away on my English paper piecing.

My technique has become streamlined and routine and my stitches are 100% better looking already. I have got into a groove and am able to position the hexies to minimize travel stitching, have fewer tangles, and better, more evenly spaced 16th-of-an-inch whipstitches. It's a whole lot less frustrating! My quota is one rosette a day and I work through the colours of the rainbow in order. I'm randomly selecting the fabric and so far, no duplicates. Ok, I've only done two of each colour but it feels very productive and I am starting to see results. Once I have the 7 flowers complete I remove the centre paper template and store the finished hexagon unit in a craft tote. They look so pretty!

When I sit down to sew, the first step is arranging the 'petals'. I was alternating light and dark fabrics and then taking a photo in case I got mixed up, interrupted, knocked over or bumped my arrangement. Once I was sick in bed where things are tippy and easily shifted I decided to create a mini design board just for my hexies. I used a double layer of cardboard (a little thicker than a cereal box) and glued on some batting. I taped it on the back and then used a piece of tacky shelf liner to reduce any slipping or shifting.

I made it 8"x8" - just the right size for a completed flower. It works so well and I can even stand the board up vertically without the hexies falling off. It takes me the day to stitch the 7 together because I squeeze in a seam or two here and there when I sit down. I'm always getting up, getting interrupted, and taking breaks to rest my hands so being able to keep the remaining shapes in order is a must. Necessity is the mother of invention, right!?

I'm loving my custom wee design board, my Ott light magnifier, my Aurifil thread (both the 50 wt and 80 wt - I keep the small sets in my kit to have all the colours ready!) and I'm totally smitten with English paper piecing! There truly is something great about having a portable project to chip away at and keep busy and that is something I never thought I would say. Now it feels like I'm wasting good sewing time if I'm not stitchin' when I'm sittin' and I look forward to quiet times or waiting times (or play-off games!) so I can work on another hexie flower!

April 19, 2017

I'm a bit late to the English Paper Piecing game but now that I'm playing, I love it. There is often a lot of trial and error with a new technique and since I'm always interested in learning and experimenting, I'm open to trying new and different ways of doing things. I happened to see a tweet shared by Aurifil from a quilter who raved about using their new 80wt cotton thread for her hand-pieced hexies. In her blog post (which I'm sorry I can't find again) she wrote how the Aurifil 80wt absolutely disappeared into the fabric, was thin but strong, and a dream to stitch with. As I work to perfect my whipstitch I need as much help as I can get to hide those stitches so I knew this was the thread I needed to try a.s.a.p.!

If you've read my previous posts about my Aurifil devotion (and collection!), you'll know that I adore this gorgeous thread made in Italy. It is worth my money to use a cotton thread of the highest quality in my quilting projects. As soon as I first tried Aurifil I knew I could never go back to any other brand. The way the thread works with my machines (strong, doesn't break, no snarls, no shredding, little lint), makes my piecing so much more accurate (this was a big one!), looks amazing when I quilt, and feels luxurious, not to mention all the delicious colours and weights available, - these are the reasons I immediately fell in love with Aurifil thread. My go-to choice is the cotton 50wt because it is excellent for both hand and machine piecing and I have great success pairing it with all my machines. I love it for quilting because my stitches look beautiful. It's also what I used for my first few English paper pieced flowers with terrific results but I definitely wanted to give the 80wt a try.

You can read all the details about the new 80wt thread (and see all the colours available) HERE at Aurifil. Like the 50wt, it can also be used by hand and machine for appliqué, English paper piecing, machine quilting and embroidery. It comes on wonderfully charming wooden spools (300 yards) and is available in 88 colours. With my early hexies I quickly realized that matching thread is a must to help camouflage the whipstitch so having an array of thread shades to choose from is ideal.

As soon as I got my hands on some 80wt I couldn't wait to start stitching. It certainly is fine thread and it truly does melt into the fabric. I don't have a lot of experience yet with EPP but to me, my stitches were virtually invisible. I will admit that on my very first stitch the thread broke and I was worried that it wouldn't stand up to the English paper piecing because I was using card stock templates, but I guess I just pulled that first whipstitch too aggressively in my excitement because after that, no problems at all. I used a gentler hand (and my Ott magnifier!) and had no further breakage.

I'm excited to grow my 80wt Aurifil collection and will pick up another stand (the next time they are on sale!) to co-ordinate with my 50wt display. As I continue with my English paper piecing (and I'm sure I will), I'll want to make sure I have matching thread to complete any future project. If you are a thread obsessed quilter like I am you'll want to give the 80wt a try. I'm looking forward to playing with it on my sewing machines as well to see how it looks and performs. I think there could be some fun design choices with free motion quilting using such fine thread. I'll have to experiment and let you know how it goes in a future post!

April 18, 2017

I have two things on my wish list and this weekend I knocked one of them off! My sister and I went to some antique places and I had her on the lookout for a tan Featherweight (a pipe dream) and a small, oval Singer oil can. This particular can is a wee version of the taller oval can and is perfectly sized to fit into a Featherweight black case. There is a bracket at the bottom of the case that holds the can in place. As far as I'm concerned, they are rare. I have been looking for two years so when my eagle eyed sister spotted one in a cabinet at our last stop, as I was checking out (!), I think she was just as excited as I was to fulfill my search!

The tiny can is adorable and fits perfectly into its original home. Because there is still oil in it and the spout is a bit wobbly, I am going to store it in my glass cabinet to showcase this piece of Singer history.

I also picked up two other small, vintage sewing treasures. The first is a leather travel sewing kit. It's definitely older, maybe the 50s(?) and I'm guessing it was made in Germany because there is a small packet of needles with a German wrapper and GERMANY is printed on the needle threader. It has cute metal accessories including a tape measure, thimble, and needle case. I just loved the green case, the little pin cushion built into the lining, and the pockets holding thread. There are a couple other tools (a pointy thing/stiletto(?) and a crochet hook) and a loop obviously meant to hold a small pair of scissors. It's odd there is no identifying label or stamp from the manufacturer so it's impossible for me to find out any more information about this charming kit.

Finally, I hummed and hawed for quite a while but in the end couldn't resist this advertising tin of vintage needles. The case is a pretty crimson tortoise-shell looking cylinder housing 100 sewing needles of various sizes. By spinning the arrow on the cap one can select the desired size and tip out a single needle through the hole. The company Kirby Beard & Co. is a very old manufacturer from England known for its pins and needles. Having just been to London last summer I thought this was such a sweet pin dispenser to add to my sewing collection and could double as a souvenir from our trip. The fact that it still has needles in it was a big bonus factor since I know that they really don't 'make 'em like they used to'. Of course I can't verify the needles' authenticity but they seem stronger and more substantial than the hand needles of today. That is the case with vintage sewing machine needles and I'm pretty confident these are indeed original. Nonetheless, I'm happy I picked it up and it's such a clever way to dispense needles. I plan on actually using it (and the contents) so that's kind of fun too!

April 13, 2017

CRAFTSY got me again! They have an amazing April SUPPLIES SALE on right now and the first thing I HAD to buy is the kit for Angela Walter's Midnight Quilt Show's latest episode, the king size Color Crystals quilt! I do not really want to stitch another king-sized quilt but this one is just too gorgeous not to attempt. The piecing is extensive, yet simple, so it's something I can work away at almost mindlessly (as Angela says). I hope so!

The fabric is a stunning ombre (Boundless Blenders Ombre) and there are 16 yards of it in the kit. The price was really good and the shipping to Canada is great - I love that I can pre-pay the taxes so there is nothing else to deal with at the door. You can buy the kit with or without the backing fabric but I always choose to add it to my order so I don't have to go searching for some substitute later. The pattern is included so for a couple hundred bucks I have a king size quilt all ready to go.

The SALE is on until Sunday and this particular kit is 50% off!! That is just too good to miss in my book! You can watch Angela make the stunning quilt in her video below...I think these episodes are so cute and funny!

April 11, 2017

I bought this OttLite 1.5x Optical Grade Magnifier with LED Illuminator because I thought it would really come in handy while sewing my hexies together. Since I plan to work on these while traveling, waiting, and when the power goes out (!), the LED battery operated light alone seemed like a really good idea. As I get older I also find that my vision is not as great as it used to be. Reading glasses help a lot but close, detailed work can still be a challenge.

The magnifier is on a neck cord and has no-slip rubberized feet to keep it in place on your chest in the correct position. The lens has a vanishing edge and a spot viewer to get even closer. It's really similar to the one attached to my Ott floor lamp. I really like it except that I can't seem to get used to the zoomed in view! I tried it out while I sewed the binding on my quilts and it brought the work so 'close' in my vision that I can't gauge the size of my stitches.

I'm sure if I persevere I can get the hang of using the magnifier. The reviews I read were so positive and many commented they couldn't live without it. This weekend will be a good chance to really test it out and hopefully adjust to the clear view! I have it tucked in my portable kit (safe from scratches in its soft pouch), where it fits perfectly. I'm glad to have it with me wherever I happen to be stitching so no matter what the light conditions I can see what I'm doing.

April 10, 2017

It's that magical time of year...when professional hockey and baseball overlap! That means a lot of workshop time for me and I was able to wrap up two full projects and some prep this weekend.

The 'planets' circle quilt is now complete with binding, label and freshly washed. The opposite corner radiating lines quilting turned out so nicely after it was laundered and I love the texture. The densely quilted lines are really cool in the corners and then as the space between them widens, the quilt is soft and puffy. This small quilt is quite light with the Batik fabrics and it will be ideal for summer t.v. watching - just enough to keep the chill of the air conditioner at bay, covering bare, warm weather legs and feet. I chose a cute embellishment on my label; I think it looks like planets in the solar system!

The Piece of Cake {2} quilt was also done and dusted this weekend. I love the simple double cross-hatch quilting and even though it is nothing fancy, the 4" spacing resulted in awesome, puffy squares. This is the opposite of the circle quilt: big and snuggly! It was a fun quilt to piece and finish and I love the red print binding. I kept the label simple, adding a pink fancy bracket (similar to the one Camille uses in the pattern name) around the information - yet another Camille Roskelley design to check off the list.

Hand stitching the bindings on both of those quilts seemed to take forever and then I had to still sew on the labels. Those tasks definitely warmed up my hands to the large amount of hand work I'll have to do for my English Paper Piecing project. They are already cramped just from the prep work (especially gluing and folding) but now all my rainbow of hexies are cut and basted onto the paper templates. The plastic tote tower of colour is sooooo satisfying and I can't wait to get to the sewing. I think it will be a gorgeous scrap quilt when I'm all finished...which may just be in about ten years or so!

Time for a breather and some family stuff this week. I do have the improv Down the Fox Hole quilt under the needle of my 1600P as I use the walking foot to quilt the lime green gentle curves. I'm not sure yet if I'm loving it but since I have to add the baselines first and then subdivide, I'm not judging too critically just yet.

April 07, 2017

I love to buy new Creative Memories products and have a big order on the way. There is a gorgeous new coverset and a great Mother's Day promotion I couldn't resist. The Better Together bundle includes both a 12x12 and an 8x8 set of albums from the Sorbet collection. It comes with the pre-designed pages in both, embellishments, a tape runner, and a pen. I love the 8x8s so getting one 'free' is amazing!

I also enjoy using up what I have and in the past year I have really hit the scrapbooking stash hard. I've been quite pleased with the layouts created just using old supplies and making them work. I just did this page with two simple photos of my dog's first trip to the self-wash centre at the pet food store. That was a great experience - beautiful, gated wash station and all the towels and supplies you need. It is so much easier, less back-breaking, and no wet, doggy-smelling towels to deal with! Anyway, Sam did really well and although he's a Lab, water is not his favourite thing. He looked pretty cute and smelled way better after a long winter!

The layout just came together! I found old bubble stickers, layered some retired designer paper, and used a die-cut from the Disney Cricut cartridge I'd made years before. It just fit perfectly! My method is to keep building and layering on the page until I like what I see...

April 06, 2017

I had to place a book order for hubs and couldn't resist adding one for me. Charm School by Vanessa Goertzen is a delightful book of 18 quilt patterns made from 5" squares (also known as charm squares). The fun doesn't end with simple squares of fabric though as Vanessa guides us chapter by chapter on how to shake things up and expand on creativity using the simple pre-cut as a starting point. (There are a few pages on supplies and finishing the quilts but they are brief. This book doesn't go in-depth with techniques so a beginner would probably need to refer elsewhere for more detailed explanations).

I chose this book because I am very familiar with Vanessa. I first discovered her talents when I made the Goody Goody Binding Kit. It remains one of my favourite creations and I use it finishing every single quilt. The chocolate bar is long gone but the kit still holds all my binding tools and supplies and that makes it super easy to grab and go when I have hand sewing to do. It happens to be something I'm very proud of making, too. Not only is it functional but I think it turned out beautifully! The zipper works, the pockets are perfect, the quilting is simple and the fabric is pretty.

Fabric is another way I know about Vanessa. She is a designer for Moda and I have a couple of her collections. She has very sweet designs and lovely colours in her collections and I enjoy working with them. I made her Social Butterfly Quilt (her design, her fabric) and was very pleased with the result. Hey, that quilt was gifted to my mother-in-law so it had to be spectacular! (By the way, there is a variation on the butterfly quilt in the book. I think I might just make that one for myself sometime!)

Back to Charm School...and the theme of the book is education: learning to work with pre-cut squares, from simple to expanded possibilities. Although this is a beginner's guide, the beautiful quilts (especially in later chapters where alterations are made to the squares to form more complex designs) can be made by seasoned quilters as well. The reviews of the book were excellent and many were indeed from more confident sewists with quite a bit of experience (such as myself) so I knew there would be patterns I would like. In fact, my first project is going to be 'Tipsy', a darling quilt with an unexpected twist created by using wonky cuts to add an illusion of movement with tilts and angles. I can't wait!

So there you have it. Another great book to add to my shelf (after I use it of course!). I think I have exhausted my current supply of Camille Roskelley patterns (she is my favourite) so it's really nice to have a fresh crop of ideas and inspiration to play with from Vanessa. I love to have ways to use up my pre-cuts and I have several charm packs in my stash. Not limited to just those smaller cuts, I can also make my own 5" squares from other pre-cuts, fat quarters, and yardage. I happen to have a fat quarter bundle of Gooseberry and a layer cake of Into the Woods so I'm well stocked now with Vanessa's fabric and patterns!

One last thing...the cover of Charm School is the coolest material! It feels so smooth and almost waterproof. I have no idea how the paper is coated but I love the feel of it!